Right Now
by BlueMew
Summary: Rishid has always been the faithful servant to the Ishtar Family, never waivering his loyalty to the bearer of the Sennen Rod. Slightly AU. RishidxMalikxMarik
1. Default Chapter

Uh oh. someone let me listen to Korn again..  
  
So I bring to you another Malik/Ishtar/Rishid fic inspired by having "Freak on a Leash", "Thoughtless", "Hollow Life", and "Right Now" stuck in my head for the past three days.  
  
I'm writing this as a couple of shorts that I'm using to explain why things are like they are in the series, so this is mostly a fic written for my personal enjoyment, but let me know if you happen to like this thing too. ^_^  
  
I don't own Yugioh or anything else I may happen to use in this fic that's not obviously mine. I thank both the creative team behind Yugioh for supplying the characters and Korn for the music to write by.  
  
I forget what the exact age it says Rishid is compared to Malik, and I have no clue as to how old Malik was when he got his yami, so for the purposes of this fic my artistic license says that Malik is 13 and Rishid is 23.  
  
I also know that Rishid is adopted, and I do make a point of mentioning that a couple times in this fic. But, just as I call my adopted brother "my brother" in regular conversation, I feel that Malik and Rishid would do the same with each other.  
  
And as always, Malik is the hikari, "the voice" is the yami in this chapter.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Malik lay motionless in his underground bed, seemingly staring in to nothingness as the world moved around him, both outside of the pyramid and in the domain he shared with his close family. Older brother had said something about having to bury father, but was that just a hideous nightmare? Life was all just a dream, and he prayed to every god he could think of that could help him wake up and experience reality.  
"Malik dear," The ebony haired matriarch of the Ishtar Family walked over to its youngest member, kneeling in front of her son to run a mocha hand through his platinum hair, brushing it from his tear-filled eyes. "I know you didn't mean to do it, but please, we can all go on a holiday to the surface if it will make you feel better."  
The young boy turned from his side to his stomach so he could press his face in to the pillow. "My back feels as if it's on fire Mother. I can't move."  
Saddened, the dark haired woman gently played with her son's hair, not wanting to cause him any more pain than his father already had. "Do you want anything to eat? Isis has been in the kitchen all day making a special dinner, and I'd like for you to try to eat with all of us."  
"I'll come if you'll leave." Came the muffled reply; the woman sighed, standing from her spot next to the boy and left the room.  
Malik waited for his mother to exit before he sat on the edge of his bed, his back not seeming to bother him now. Rishid had promised to help him take the bandages off this afternoon, and though he didn't want to be around people at all, Rishid was at least tolerable. He genuinely wanted to help Malik, unlike everyone else in the family.  
Though if Rishid had really wanted to help, he would have kept Father away from him, and Father would still be alive.  
Stepping in to his canvas slippers, Malik silently trotted to Rishid's room, disappointed to find the chamber empty. Where could Rishid be? Did he go to the surface without Malik?  
The little blond shook his head as he stared at the empty room. Rishid would never leave him, ever. That's what the voice said the other night.  
The voice had been getting louder in his head since Father died, but Malik was not about to tell Mother or his brother or sister about his looming insanity. He decided that the voice was indeed Father come back to haunt him, and how would telling other people about a personal ghost come to make that ghost go away? It would just make the ghost angry.  
Sitting on Rishid's bed, Malik settled in with one of his brother's books of study to wait for the elder's return, reading the words carefully, because some day he would be the Pharaoh and would need to know all this stuff about Egypt and Duel Monsters. Rishid even said he'd help him build a deck with cards he would buy on the surface during their next trip there.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Where were you?" The young master of the Ishtar family growled as sat on Rishid's bed, the room dark from its lack of candlelight in the nighttime hours. Malik had not bothered to search for matches in his anger, hoping that he would scare his brother when he returned. "I wanted to go to the surface so you could teach me the game."  
Rishid sighed as he lit a few candles, stripping from his heavy outdoor robes until he was wearing just a pair of dark pants, something that Malik was certain his father would have been quite angry about, with bringing in influences from the West and all.  
"I'm sorry Master, but it was time for one of us to go buy the essentials so we can spend another month in seclusion here, so Mother asked me to go. We can go tomorrow to get you cards, I promise."  
"We have enough cards down here." Isis stated as she stood in the doorway of the room. "Mother doesn't want any of us going to the surface without her permission ever again."  
Rishid narrowed his eyes. "You've done well in your studies, sister, so you should know that the chosen ones should have their own decks."  
To that comment, Isis just shrugged. "Well, it's up to you boys if you want to risk Mother's wrath right now. She's more upset with you than you think Malik because of what happened with Father."  
"I'll kill her too if I have to." Malik grumbled to himself as she stood from Rishid's bed, pushing Isis as he walked past.  
Sighing, the eldest son ran over to his ten year junior, scooping the blond up in his arms, making sure not to put too much pressure on his sore back. They needed to talk without Isis nearby, so Rishid left the girl behind as he carried his little brother toward the surface, grabbing a t- shirt as he walked past his closet.  
"I order you to put me down!" Malik yelled before glaring up in to Rishid's cold eyes, but quickly decided not to test the young man's patience from the look he gleaned from his elder's eyes. Instead, the younger boy nuzzled his cheek against Rishid's shoulder, wrapping his arms around his neck so he could be carried easier. "Sorry." He whispered. "I don't want to be angry or yell or do bad things, it just kinda happens sometime. you know."  
"I forgive you master." Rishid smiled down at the boy in his arms, leaning down to kiss his forehead before setting Malik down on one of the slabs of stone outside of their residence so he could slip his shirt on. "Anytime that you need help with dealing with your anger, just ask me. I will always be at your side, no matter what happens."  
Malik's features brightened for the first time since the incident with his father, and he smiled as he hopped from the slab of stone he sat on to grab Rishid's hand, dragging the elder toward the brightly lit marketplace. "It's so cool!"  
Allowing himself to be led to the marketplace by the young boy, Rishid hid his amusement at Malik's awe at the sights around him, as the blond would point out every tiny detail of life on the surface that seemed fascinating. Of course, Rishid had seen the surface much more than either of the Ishtar siblings because Mother trusted him to return and Father hadn't cared too much what happened to the adopted son, so nothing was seemingly amazing anymore.  
Malik stopped suddenly, causing Rishid to almost knock him over as he bumped in to the small boy. "Look at it.." Malik whispered, his eyes full of reverence. "It's just like that picture I saw.." Not taking his eyes of the chrome-bedecked motorcycle, he tugged on Rishid's sleeve. "Can I go see it up close?"  
"Malik, we can't just walk up to other people's property and.." Rishid just sighed as he watched the little blond dash over to the motorcycle to look it over, immediately striking up conversation with what appeared to be its owner and a few women.  
"Gods, why?" Rishid shook his head as he walked over to where Malik was standing with the young man and women wearing western style clothing eyeing the motorcycle as if it was a god unto itself.  
"Malik, I TOLD you not to run off. What if something happened to you? What would your mother and sister say?"  
The little blond looked sadly at the motorcycle before biting his lip and returning to Rishid's side, thanking the people that he had been speaking with for letting him look at the machine as the two of them started toward where the game shop was located.  
"Hey Rishid!" One of the girls from the group called out as she hurried behind the two, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Can I ask you something?"  
Rishid gently tugged on Malik's robe, stopping the young boy, so he could speak to the girl that apparently knew him.  
"I'm Sahri. from the market?" She added when the look of uncertainty registered across Rishid's features. "You probably haven't seen me with my hair down."  
"Oh yeah." Rishid smiled, leading her away from Malik just so the younger boy couldn't hear what was happening. "What's wrong?"  
Sahri's eyes traveled over toward Malik. "When did you have children? You never mentioned anything like that before."  
Rishid didn't want to chuckle, but he did as he patted Sahri's arm, watching Malik take in the sights of the brightly colored marketplace. "Oh, that's my master's only son. I wanted to get his mind off his father's passing, so we came here to look around and buy him something he can be amused with for a while."  
The girl smirked, leaning up to kiss Rishid's scarred cheek before turning and walking away, her hips swaying as if she was a model in her tight blue jeans. "It's tough being an heir, isn't it Rishid?"  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Malik sat across from Rishid in the elder's bedroom, holding three Duel Monster cards in his hand, with a seven colored fish laying in front of him on the table, obviously debating on what his next move should be. "So who was the girl? And I play confiscation. Give me your hand."  
Rishid obliged, leaning back against the wall as the younger boy debated over which card to choose. "She's just someone that works at the market where I buy our food, that's all."  
"This one." Malik handed Rishid back his cards, keeping a Monster Reborn separate so it could be shuffled back in to the elder's deck. "And I attack your life points with the 7 Colored Fish, so you only have 200 left. Go." He watched as Rishid drew a card, then chuckled.  
"Exodia. I win." Rishid smirked as he deposited the five cards of the Forbidden One on the bed where they sat.  
"Man! I knew that was gonna happen." Malik groaned as he tossed the cards in his hand to the table. "So why'd she kiss you? Do you think she's pretty?"  
Rishid picked his cards back up, shuffling again. "Let's try another game. You need the practice."  
Malik's eyes twinkled as he giggled. "Rishid's got a girlfriend!" He sang as he continued shuffling his deck, much to the elder's disapproval.  
"Concentrate Master. It's your sacred duty-"  
"-to learn the ancient ways and how to survive in the Shadow Realm so I can help the stupid Pharaoh save the stupid world from the stupid high priest." Malik mocked his father's words, rolling his eyes as he dealt himself a new hand. "I KNOW that I've got to help the stupid pharaoh and I have to learn to play Shadow Games, but Rishid can't we talk about something else for a change? It's GOT to annoy you to think about ancient prophecies all day."  
"Loser goes first, Loser." Rishid's gaze was hard as he glared at the young boy across from him, who sighed as he drew a card, silently making his moves. "I don't want to speak of the surface any more tonight Malik."  
"Yeah, whatever. Go."  
Rishid sighed, knowing that with as much disappointment as the young boy suffered throughout his life, he would rebel one day, and the world would learn to fear the adorable, innocent boy.  
"What's so great about girls?"  
"Huh?" The question caught him off guard, snapping him back to the reality of the situation. "Girls? I don't know. Sometimes they're fun to be around."  
"Well, Isis is a girl and she's stupid. I'd punch her in the nose if she ever tried to kiss me."  
Rishid chuckled. "Isis is your sister, that's why you think she's stupid Malik. She's actually really nice and really caring."  
"She's a tattletale." Malik layed a Raigeki on the field, destroying Rishid's five monsters, leaving him wide open for an attack by Malik's two Harpie's Brothers. "But I wouldn't let her kiss me, no matter what."  
Rishid, to his dismay, spoke without thinking. "You let me kiss you, so why couldn't she?"  
"Because I like it when you kiss me." Malik stated matter of factly as if nothing could be implied as wrong by his statement. "Makes me feel good."  
Rishid set his cards on the bed, placing his hand on Malik's cheek and leaning close. "Don't ever say anything like that again around anyone, do you understand?"  
Instead of acknowledging, Malik layed his smaller hand on Rishid's nuzzling his cheek against the palm. "But it does."  
Moving to his knees, Malik leaned up to brush his lips against his elder's in the faintest kiss he could have given. He wanted to prove how nice the time spent in each other's presence really did feel, but instead, Rishid was taken aback, his features registering first shock, then anger.  
Pushing Malik down on his back and keeping his shoulders pinned, Rishid leaned over the young boy, leaning most of his weight down on Malik causing him to squirm in pain.  
"Don't you EVER do that again!" The elder was furious, shaking the boy as he accented the words. "You are not to be like.. THAT!"  
"GET OFF!" The voice was deeper that came from the young boy, and as Rishid's vision focused on the boy under him, he could not place what was different about his young master, but the boy had a different, more feral appearance. "Unless you want ME to finish what you've started."  
Backing away, Rishid finally recognized what had happened. The evil presence that had killed Father had come back to Malik. He would surely die tonight at the spirit's hands, and Malik would be devastated yet again.  
"Master, no.. calm down." The elder backed away, picking both decks of cards up and placing them on the table near the bed. "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking."  
Malik chuckled, a deep, hideous laugh that seemed to come from the bowels of the underworld itself. "I was Rishid." Standing from the bed, Malik backed his brother against the wall, playing his hands across his bare chest. "Perhaps you need to be taught a lesson in humility." 


	2. Rare Hunters

Gah, I knew that Malik was 10.. So I took the advice and labeled this thing "slightly AU" because I'm just too lazy to change it, and well, at 10 I never thought about things like kissing and stuff.  
  
Malik: But you're a naïve Midwesterner that had to have 'deep throat' explained to you by your Senior Government teacher because you and your best friend were the only two that didn't laugh. . . .  
  
*glares* That wasn't me that had it explained. . . .that was Debbie. And maybe people do think about kissing and sex at 10. I dunno, just I never did.  
  
Same old disclaimers, same old everything. And like I said in the first chapter, each chapter could possibly stand alone, I'm just grouping them to make one happy Ishtar-family fic.  
  
A year has passed between the previous chapter and this one, just so I don't confuse anyone.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Malik sat on a lower step of one of the many staircases that connected the streets to the houses in the city where he and Rishid had moved to after the voice had become too annoyed with Isis and her nagging about delivering a message to a nonexistent pharaoh. The ever-present sands of the desert around the oasis of the city swirled in the winds through the streets, causing most everyone to don the traditional garments of their land for protection, but Malik was fed up with traditions. He just would close his eyes when the winds blew so he could wear his colorful Western clothing, and today he had chosen a blood red hoodie which was pulled tight around his face and black vinyl pants to cover his legs. And as always, the Millennium Rod was at his side, tucked in to his belt so as to never lose his sacred possession.  
Rishid should have been back by now with the sales from the cards Malik had stolen from the market a few weeks prior. It had become routine. Malik would go in to shops dressed as a teenage tourist and would grab rare, powerful cards one at a time, then Rishid would set up a stand where he could sell the cards for a lower price than the stores, still making quite a profit from the scam.  
'You should punish him.'  
Malik sighed, looking up at the setting sun. The voice was ever present, convincing the adolescent to perform many stupid acts of violence toward his servant. How many times had he raped Rishid due to the voice's urging to teach the elder humility? It was more than he could remember actually.  
"We're going to have to move soon master. I think the police are starting to catch on to our game." Rishid offered a free hand to the younger man as he stood in front of him on a lower step, helping Malik up so they could walk up to their home together.  
"I am not pleased Rishid." The adolescent growled as he yanked the money box from the elder's hands, counting the paper notes quickly as Rishid shut the door behind them. "Three hundred and seventy pounds only? You call that a day's work!?"  
"Tourism has been down because of what happened in America, Master." Rishid sighed, pulling his robes off to sit on the couch, only wearing a pair of jeans. "They think all people from around here hate them, so they aren't coming as much."  
Malik sighed as he filed the paper notes in to the box where the two kept their earnings from the card business they started, counting it up with the previous earnings they saved from the past seven months. "We have 23,370 Pounds after today saved up, so we should be able to go somewhere else and start out easy enough. Plane tickets will be about 8000 Pounds for the both of us, so we'll still have a decent chunk of money left over to start with.."  
Leaning over to the minifridge that was near the couch, Rishid pulled a cool bottle of sparkling water out, watching the adolescent go over his notes about the business he had started. Malik was incredibly smart with such worldly matters as money and business, though the boy had only started in this game seven months ago. Malik had the face of an angel and a tongue like a double edged sword, the absolute necessity of this line of work.  
"I read at the real game shop that there is going to be a Duel Monsters Tournament held in Los Angeles with a bunch of prize money. Think of what you could win with your skills."  
Malik looked up from the charts he had been studying, smirking as he pondered his brother's words. "You know Rishid, you do have good ideas once in a while. We could make a fortune selling cards to those fools. All we'd need would be a few more pickpockets, and then all those duelists would lose their most prized cards and be forced to buy them back from us."  
"That's not what I mean Malik." Rishid glared at the younger boy, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Let's be honest proprietors for once in our lives. I'm sick of this performance."  
Rishid's head snapped to the side as the hard slap of Malik's hand pressed across his cheek. "Do not counter me Rishid. I will not tolerate such disobedience."  
The elder sighed, standing up from his seat on the couch. "I'll go pack for our trip master."  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"I wish you would've told me to enter." Malik yawned as he watched the duel going on between Bandit Keith, the North American champion, and Pegasus J. Crawford, the creator of Duel Monsters. "Both of those players suck."  
But Rishid remained silent as he sat in the audience wearing the dark purple robes Malik had chosen for the two of them to wear during their stay at the finals. Duelists everywhere were coming to know that the Rare Hunters, these two Middle Eastern men, had the best supply of cards at reasonable prices relative to the rarity of each. The entrepreneurs known here as Mohammed and Khalid even had twelve completed Exodia decks, which they grudgingly sold to the highest bidders.  
The Millennium Rod lay hidden in Malik's robes, and as Pegasus stood to have a young child take his place at the dueling arena, the Millennium Item passed a tingling sensation through its bearer's body.  
"Interesting." Malik smirked, now finally noticing a patch of gold under the man's silvery hair. "So he is one of us too."  
Rishid could not understand what Malik was speaking of. Pegasus J. Crawford was just a regular American as far as he could tell. "How do you know, master?"  
Malik smirked, holding back laughter as the American dueling champion lost to a child that had just begun the game a few weeks prior. "He has an item like the Millennium Rod, though I doubt he truly knows how to harness its powers." Standing, Malik straightened his purple robes, hurrying down the stairs toward the vendor's area which would lead him to the rooms where Pegasus would be heading to before leaving for his palatial home.  
Rishid could do nothing but follow the younger man as they walked through the stadium.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Sir, two card dealers known as the Rare Hunters are here to see you. They claim to be from Egypt and know about certain attributes of Duel Monsters that you would be interested in knowing. Shall I let them in?"  
Pegasus sighed as he swirled his glass of wine as he held it just above his dressing room table. The last thing he needed right now was to deal with game shop owners begging him to produce more cards, for he wasn't in the mood to create them.  
"Send them in."  
With the confirmation from his employer, the guard waved for Malik and Rishid to enter the dressing room before stepping outside, leaving the door open in case something were to happen.  
"Thank you for your time Mr. Crawford." Malik smiled as he leaned against the opposite wall, Rishid standing straight next to him. "I was wondering how you came to possess a Millennium item."  
Pegasus just smirked as he turned to face the two young men, amused that they knew the source of his supposed telepathy. "What is your name son?"  
"Malik Ishtar, and this is my partner Rishid Ishtar."  
"Do you have a sister named Isis?"  
Malik narrowed his eyes, wondering how in the world Pegasus could know who his sister was. "Yes, I do. Does that matter?"  
Pegasus just chuckled, sipping his wine. "You were three months old when I last saw you Malik. Your father was quite overjoyed to have a son of his own that he was more than willing to share his happiness by making other people's desires come true. I trust your sister has my cards in safe keeping still."  
"Your cards?"  
"Yes, my cards." Pegasus stated matter of factly. "I created the three God monsters for my own personal deck. Too bad the insignificant duelists that are around today could never have any hope of defeating an Egyptian God Card, so I hid them from thieves and the public."  
The blond Egyptian smirked, turning around to show his back to Pegasus as he lifted his robes up, revealing the scars. "Is that what you made? Obelisk, Ra, and Osiris?"  
"I called Osiris Slifer the Sky Dragon, but yes." Pegasus seemed in awe of the carving, as he stood from his seat to trail his fingers over the wounded skin. "Those are the three God monsters I created."  
Stepping away from the two Egyptians, Pegasus walked over to the mirror and looked in to it, pulling his hair from his face to reveal the Millennium Eye. "Some man named Shaadi gave this to me. I don't know much more about it than it will help me find what I long for."  
Malik just smirked as he straightened his robes, grabbing Rishid's arm and pulling him toward the exit. "Thank you for your time Mr. Crawford, but we need to return to our stand. The Rare Hunters don't exist without either of us at the booth."  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Rishid stood in the kitchen of the small apartment that he had been sharing with Malik during their stay in the United States, microwaving what would be their dinner- two boxes of precooked stir fry that his young master had grown to love. And the best way to survive Malik's wrath was to not incur it, so eating microwave dinners and listening to him babble on and on about motorcycles was tolerable if he didn't want to be used over and over again.  
Why couldn't he tell Malik no? No matter how much he would insist that he would stand up to the boy, Rishid could never find the heart to disappoint his young master in any way, even if it meant degrading himself.  
"Hey Rishid," Malik yawned as he ran a hand through his messy hair, pulling it from his face. "I'm gonna go get my ears pierced, and you've gotta sign a release for me in this country. And I want you to get your tongue pierced."  
Rishid sighed, pulling the two boxes of food from the microwave handing one to Malik, who grabbed a fork and stabbed the top, prying it off before he began scarfing down the contents.  
"I don't want to get anything pierced."  
Malik looked up, glaring at his elder brother. "You will do as I say, Rishid. Father made you my servant, and don't you forget that."  
"So you're calling the voices in your head 'Father' now?"  
Immediately, Rishid realized the folly of his words, as Malik had tossed his microwave dinner on the counter to pin him against the wall, holding the Millennium Rod's point at his neck. Apologizing now would not accomplish anything more than bringing a devious smirk to his young master's face, so Rishid hung his head awaiting the punishment he would receive for the negative comment.  
Stepping back, Malik seemed disgusted by the whole situation. "You're worse than a woman Rishid. At least they fight back." Slipping the Rod back into his belt, Malik grabbed the keys to their rental car, looking over his shoulder. "As your master, I order you to come with me, and if you're good, you'll have the reward you've been waiting for ever since we arrived in this damned country."  
Rishid did not show any emotion as he walked toward the door of the apartment, snatching the keys from the adolescent and leading him toward the car.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Snuggling against the bare chest of the taller man, Malik purred happily as he nipped Rishid's neck before settling his willowy form next to the more muscular young man, closing his eyes to drift off to a dreamless sleep.  
"Master?" The elder whispered as he ran his fingers gently over the adolescent's bare back, resting his hand on the boy's thigh. Malik had been pleased tonight, and Rishid knew that now would be the best time to speak plainly without incurring the boy's wrath.  
"Mmm.. What is it?"  
"I wanna go back to Egypt."  
"Me too." The blond trailed his tongue up his lover's neck as he pushed himself up to lean over the elder, tugging gently at Rishid's newly pierced ear and chuckling at the groan that the pain caused. "How could we be so ignorant to not figure that Isis would have the best deck in all of history? It's why she never wanted us to know anything about Duel Monsters."  
Rishid just closed his eyes and smiled, laying placidly under the blond. "We couldn't sell the God cards. Most people would think that they are fakes, and the rest of the people would know that we steal the cards we sell if we stocked something so rare."  
"I don't want to sell them." Malik smirked as he touched his lover's cheek, forcing Rishid to open his eyes. "I want to make a deck with them. We could go straight if we had cards like that, because who could stop me from winning? And besides, who better to control an Egyptian God than the reincarnation of the pharaoh?"  
Rishid just chuckled, grabbing Malik's cheeks so he could bring the boy's head close to his own, kissing him on the forehead. "You're not the pharaoh Malik. You're just one of his servants."  
"That remains to be proved." With a smirk Malik lay back down, curling up next to Rishid's side, draping an arm across the elder's chest. "I'll be the pharaoh, no matter what." 


	3. Bandit Keith

To respond to a review about Pegasus not being able to meet Malik. . . .  
  
Malik and the Rare Hunters were already well known and a smooth-running entity when they were introduced to Battle City in the series, or at least that's how they seemed to me. They found Bandit Keith floating around Duelist Kingdom and picked him up, so that goes to show that they were on their little boat and scoping out Pegasus's tournament, though not actively participating for what we viewers could see. Who knows? They could have been on the island testing out their decks and spiriting away before the finals began as to not be noticed.  
  
In the past chapter, Malik was 14 anyway, so that's two or so years before Battle City.  
  
And besides, I'm saying that it's slightly AU to save my butt with all the inaccuracies *sweatdrop*  
  
Another year and a half has passed, because we all have some sort of idea of what happened in Egypt with the God Cards, even if all we've seen is the dub. . . .  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
The young blond sat in his chair watching two of his Rare Hunters duel each other, testing out their decks to surmise the strengths and weaknesses of both Slifer the Sky Dragon and the Winged Dragon of Ra. It had only been a month since he'd found the Winged Dragon of Ra and taken it forcibly from his elder sister, and though Duelist Kingdom had ended about that same time, Malik still wanted to prepare the God-Card decks for next year's tournaments.  
He also needed to see how each of these monsters would fare against a truly pitiful deck that seemed to always work for its master, the champion of Duelist Kingdom, Yugi Mutou. How the boy had come to win such a tournament in his first season competing at that level meant that he was either a prodigy that had a coach that was excellent at Duel Monsters himself, or the boy was linked to the former Shadow Games somehow. And of course, Malik was inclined to believe the latter, for a Millennium Item hung around the boy's neck in every picture that was published with every article about the winner.  
Sitting forward in his chair, Malik smirked as he watched the Rare Hunter whose hand he could plainly see draw Slifer, and knowing that the man would play it this turn to destroy his opponent after only four draws in the game meant that he'd finally constructed the optimum deck to use Slifer with.  
As if prompted by his employer, the Rare Hunter played Slifer, and in no time obliterated his opponent's life points. The smiling winner of the practice duel then walked over to Malik, holding the deck out for him to inspect, but instead of looking it over, the blond handed the winner a new deck, this one constructed exactly as Yugi's was for Duelist Kingdom.  
"Try this deck against the Winged Dragon of Ra at least fifty times. And make sure you both document how it plays out." Standing, he pulled the hood of his purple robes over his head to block the sun from his eyes. "Come to me when you're done."  
There could be absolutely no scenario as to what this Yugi's deck could possibly do to beat an Egyptian God card, so Malik did not care too much as to the results of the matches as to the specific moves of each match.  
But compared to his real concern, card games meant absolutely nothing. Rishid should have returned to the boat where the Rare Hunters were now based by now. He only had to deliver a captive to Domino City, some straggler they had found floating in the waters just outside the island where the Duelist Kingdom tournament was held.  
The man owned a fairly decent deck with machine-type monsters, and through the powers of the Millennium Rod it was determined that the man was quite a well-schooled duelist. He would have been a good candidate for a Rare Hunter, but there was just something that led Malik not to trust the American for more use than a mere pawn.  
"He has been placed, Master."  
The platinum haired boy's attention turned to his elder brother as Rishid entered the large private cabin. Rishid was panting as though he had been running from his post instead of riding in a boat.  
"I have bad news though Master."  
Standing, Malik grasped the Millennium Rod close to his chest as the hood from his Rare Hunter robes masked his tanned face. "I know that my sister has traveled to Domino City for the Millennium Rod has detected the presence of the Millennium Necklace." Growling, he walked over to the case where the original Slifer and Ra cards were kept. "She dares to call me a traitor, yet she can whore our family's treasures to the highest bidder? It is Isis that is the traitorous one."  
The elder bit his lip as he turned away from his ranting younger brother, trying to mask his emotions and opinions. There was an obvious difference between what Isis and Malik were doing with their family's legacy, but the teen would not understand.  
"I want you to pay a visit to our dear sister Rishid. You will bring me Obelisk the Tormentor so I can construct the perfect deck for such a card."  
"Master, I was hoping for a holiday. I've been on missions nonstop for the past year." The elder sighed as he hugged his arms across his chest. "May I please have some time off?"  
"What did Father say to you?"  
Rishid just sighed as he headed toward the door. Why had he pledged his life to the service of this family once he had already come of age? If he had been a thinking man, he could still be in Egypt and possibly have been married and started a family by this time. But no. He had stayed to help raise his little brother, and what good had come of such a service? Malik was just another whiny spoiled brat in a world already overpopulated by such creatures.  
"Isis will not willingly give me the card, you do realize this."  
Malik just glared across the room at his elder. "I don't care how you get the card, just make certain that you get it!"  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Rishid, brother," Isis Ishtar smiled as she opened the hotel suite door, hugging the taller man around the neck and kissing his cheek before allowing him to enter the posh room. "I am so glad that destiny has brought us back together, though I wish our younger brother could be here tonight as well."  
"Cut the oracle business Isis." Rishid just smirked as he patted her arm before sitting on the couch. "I hated it when mother would speak like that, and it's no more becoming for a lady such as you."  
The keeper of the Millennium Necklace chuckled slightly as she sat next to her elder brother, smoothing her skirt as she did. "Malik wants Obelisk, am I correct?"  
Nodding, Rishid looked at his hands. "He ordered me to do whatever possible to make you hand that card to me."  
The dark haired young woman rolled her eyes in disgust as she leaned back against the cushions. "He can be saved, dear brother. Destroy the God Cards."  
Finally meeting his eyes to hers, Rishid leaned over to grab her hands, squeezing them painfully tight. "You know I cannot do that, for it will awaken the evil that lives in our little brother."  
Smirking as she scooted closer, Isis did not remove her gaze from the dark haired man's eyes. "This is not how our little brother will lose control of his body. Fate has decided upon another way."  
"How can we prevent him from losing control?"  
Taking her hands from his, Isis just sighed as she fingered the Millennium Necklace, tracing its patterns lightly. "You must always serve him, as the Spirit of the Rod will not show himself if you are present."  
The elder sighed, running a hand over his mostly bald head. "Is he going to kill me too in order to free the evil that resides in him?"  
Isis just shook her head, sighing in defeat. "I have no idea. I have not been granted such a vision yet."  
"Can I have Obelisk then?"  
Again, the dark haired woman shook her head, looking down at her hands, which were in her lap. "I have already given Obelisk to Seto Kaiba for a tournament he will be holding."  
Growling as he stood, Rishid pulled his hood over his face before heading toward the door. "Malik was right. You are nothing better than a whore when it comes to matters of the family's possessions."  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"She did WHAT!?!" Rishid flinched as the anger in his young master swelled knowing fully well that he would be receiving a hard slap across his scarred cheek while he kneeled in front of Malik. "What did you do when you found out?"  
"I threatened her Master. I told her to get the card back from Seto Kaiba or else I would rape then kill her."  
The younger blond smirked, seemingly pleased with the situation. "Good work Rishid. My sister will finally learn to respect and fear men as any woman should. I want you to make true on that threat Rishid. In two months, if I do not have Obelisk, you will return to Domino to beat and rape Isis. Do not kill her though, for she will have a miserable experience afterwards."  
Rishid just bit his lip. He never wanted to harm Isis, but if Malik decided it would be done, then Rishid would have to follow orders, no matter his opinion. 


End file.
